Dozens of Passengers Kidnapped on Oromia Amhara Border

Dozens of passengers have been kidnapped on Oromia Amhara border. The abductees include women and children too.

On December 22, 2024, a public transportation vehicle traveling from Addis Ababa to Debre Markos was reportedly hijacked along with all its passengers. The vehicle was intercepted in the Oromia region, specifically in an area called Tulul Miliki.

Among the passengers, there are reportedly young children, women, and religious clergy. The attackers have demanded ransoms of over 3 million birr per individual from the victims’ families, according to sources. The vehicle was reportedly carrying more than 60 passengers at the time of the hijacking.

Several similar incidents happened in the area. In July this year, over 100 Debark University students were abducted in the same area. Oromia government claimed to have secured the release of the students. However according to families of abductees, they paid ransom for the release of their loved ones.

Oromia government accuses Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) of being behind the kidnapping for ransom incidents happening in Oromia. OLA denies involvement, accusing government backed elements of abducting people.

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